Pink Lightning

Astilbe

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Bressingham Beauty'

Summary: 'Pink Lightning' produces a smaller plant than 'Bressingham Beauty'. The flower length, peduncle length and petiole length in 'Pink Lightning' is shorter than in 'Bressingham Beauty'. The anthocyanin colouration of the petiole is absent to very weak in 'Pink Lightning' while it is medium to strong in 'Bressingham Beauty'. The flower colour of 'Pink Lightning' has a slightly lighter pink flower colour than 'Bressingham Beauty'.

Description:

'Pink Lightning' is a vegetatively propagated perennial that has an upright bushy growth habit with sparse branching. The leaves are alternate and rosette in arrangement and biternate. The leaflets are elliptic to ovate in shape with an acute to acuminate shaped apex and attenuate shaped base. The leaflet margins are serrate and there is very sparse to sparse pubescence on the upper and lower side of the leaf blade. The leaves have weak glaucosity and are dark green in colour on the upper side and medium green on the lower side. There is no leaf variegation. The petiole has absent to very weak anthocyanin colouration.

'Pink Lightning' flowers once during mid-season and has a short length of flowering. The peduncle has weak anthocyanin colouration and very sparse to sparse pubescence. The inflorescence type is a panicle which is terminal in position and erect in attitude. The flowers are light bluish-pink in colour.

Origin & Breeding History: 'Pink Lightning' was selected from a seedling population of a controlled cross between 'Bressingham Beauty' as the pollen parent and 'Jaqueline' as the seed parent. The initial cross was made in Noorden, The Netherlands in 1993. The objective of the breeding program was to develop an improved flower colour, attractive foliage, and compact plant growth habit.

Tests & Trials: Tests and trials for 'Pink Lightning' were conducted at Oxford Station, Ontario in the summer of 2001. The trials consisted of ten plants per variety grown under field conditions. Plants were spaced 0.40 metres within the row and rows were spaced 1.0 metre apart.

Comparison tables for 'Pink Lightning' with reference variety 'Bressingham Beauty'

Plant height (cm)

Plant width (cm)

Peduncle length (cm)

Petiole length (cm)

Inflorescence length (cm)

Colour of inflorescence(RHS)